The board of Inland Waterways Authority India (IWAI) has decided to award a contract worth Rs 200 crore for dredging and maintaining fairways of rivers up to the Indian side in the north-east region to encourage private shippers to use inland waterways via the India-Bangladesh protocol route, an official said.
The Inland Waterways Authority of India strives to keep barges at a minimum draught of 2.5 m for smooth sailing. The inland waterways authority has agreed to spend Rs 200 crore on dredging and fairway maintenance for three years in some pockets of the north-east region, such as Pandu and Dhubri, where there are bottlenecks for barge sailing.
